Return To Madness
by Serethiel96
Summary: Alice never completely forgot. Tucked away in her subconscious, the memory of Underland remained. Thoughts of the world she left behind plague her dreams, calling her back. Remembering was the easy part. Facing the challenges that lie ahead... not so much


**Hello and welcome to my story! So, like almost every other AiW 2010 fan, I wasn't completely pleased with the ending… or the fact that two Alice/Tarrant scenes were cut from the film. SO like any other good Fangirl, I decided to change things up a bit! BWAHAHAHA! *Clears throat* Ahem… anyways this story is set two years after Alice's trip to Underland. I won't trouble you with my rants. Just read the story and you'll find out what happens. Yes, this will be Alice/Tarrant. This is rated T because I sometimes get a little gory with my descriptions. My bad.**

**I just thought I would tell you that I listen to music to get my inspiration/muse for my work. I'll put the name of the song and the artist before each chapter. **

**Song: Far From Home: Five Finger Death Punch**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the original AiW stories or film. The credit goes to Lewis Carroll and Tim Burton… Lucky ducks! If I did own it, Alice would have stayed in Underland and those Alice/Tarrant scenes would have stayed! And I wouldn't exactly be here telling you guys my plans… Oh well. I don't own the song Far From Home either.**

_All the places I've been and things I've seen_

_A million stories that make up_

_A million shattered dreams_

_The faces of people I'll never see again _

_And I can't seem to find my way home_

_~Far From Home~_

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><p><em><strong>Prologue: Of Dreams Without Faces<strong>_

Alice was falling. She always entered the Dream Realm the same way.

Falling.

Her arms flailed out in front of her, hands trying to find grasp anything that would stop her rapid plummet. Clocks and time pieces floated around her head and in her face, ticking constantly against her ears. A piano-forte mocked her by making Alice believe that she would soon come in contact with the heavy weight. Many other objects from bookcases to chairs to candlesticks flew at her body, yet their contact didn't hurt.

The opening that Alice apparently fell through grew smaller with each foot that the girl descended. She was able to make out the faint line of overgrown tree roots that hid parts of the hole and the blue sky that she left behind.

The only thing Alice Kingsleigh was unable to gain knowledge of was exactly where she was falling from. When Alice drifted off into her Dreams, she always found herself falling backwards and staring at a rapidly decreasing rabbit hole. For once she would like to know where she was falling from and why she was falling so quickly in the first place.

Her stomach lurched with each flip she did in the air, her golden locks flying around her head and into her face with each twist. While she was tumbling with her back to the entry passage, Alice hit a plush bed that cushioned her fall. However the pause was short lived when Alice was unable to stop herself from doing another flip off the bed; she was unable to stop a growing scream from coming out of her mouth as she continued to fall down the seeming never ending pit. Clumps of dirt and clay clung to Alice's baby blue dress while sticks and roots snagged at the fabric.

When Alice saw a checkerboard pattern rapidly approaching at the bottom of the hole, she tried to brace herself for the upcoming exit. She knew that even if she was in the midst of a Dream, it would still hurt in a way. The impact came quicker than expected; Alice barely had time to cover her face with her forearms before landing on her stomach on a chilly stone chessboard. If she had been in the "real" world, that fall would have killed her instantly, yet in the Dream, she was merely winded. Alice Kingsleigh knew though, that she was far from the "real" world and its degrading rules and regulations. Namely, its bloody stockings and corsets!

Then name of the Dream World that Alice lived in when she slept always escaped her memory. She felt like she should know this place like the back of her hand, yet didn't. Whenever she dreamt, she would always end up some place new but strangely familiar. Alice felt as if she had been there before, but Logic told her that was absolutely impossible. '_**But sometimes, I think of as many as six impossible things before breakfast!**_'' she would argue back at Logic.

Alice slowly lifted her head off of the marble ground to survey her new surroundings. She scrunched her brow when she realized that this wasn't a place that she'd ever dreamt up before. Normally, Alice would Dream about some beautiful and psychedelic colored fantasy land with the most amazing creatures along with it. No matter whom she would run in to in the Dream world, they would always know her name, even if she swore that she'd never seen them before in her life.

There was something that always bothered Alice; her Dream was always incomplete and no matter how hard she tried, she could never get it the way she wanted. For one thing, the lands that she dreamed up completely stopped at one point or another. One moment she would be traipsing along some achingly familiar path and the next would leave her staring at a grey void of absolute nothingness. A strange sorrow would always follow after she reached the Void. The twenty year old would stare into the blank canvas and just feel empty. Alice was always positive that there should be something else taking the place of the Void that stood in its stead.

The inhabitants of the Dream Realm gave Alice the same empty feeling as well. The feeling was more profound with them for one reason; they were missing their faces. Every other detail, from the fabric of their clothes to the hairs out of place made the Dream dwellers seem so real and alive.

Alice could hear their voices. Even without mouths, they spoke to her and the voices echoed in her mind throughout the waking day. _**'Alice,'**_ they would say, _**'come home to us. You belong here.' **_ Alice believed them whole heartedly too. She wanted nothing more than to stay in her Dreams. Her heart longed to walk among the colorful landscapes and never to return to the days of other people trying to control her life and tell her what she could dream or want.

Alice loved a good surprise, but this surprise made her nervous. Falling on the unkind, marble chessboard ground instead of luscious grass was one thing; witnessing a violent battle was another. Swirling colors of red and white clashed swords and threw spears, coming together in intense combat. Each was trying to overpower the other. Obviously, like any other Dream Alice had about the Fantasy Land, the warriors lacked their faces. When she looked around at the soldiers carefully, she found a very peculiar sight. It was actually like a war of the game pieces. Red playing cards were waging war against white chess pieces, not seeming to notice the girl that just dropped from the sky in the midst of the battle. '_**And I honestly hope it stays that way!' **_When a boulder catapulted through the sky and went directly through Alice like she was just a shadow, she felt relief flood through her. She could now walk amidst the battle and not be harmed.

Red cards and white chess pieces completely went through her as she waltzed through the battlefield. Alice felt like a ghost amongst the living, never to be seen or heard but only to observe the clashes in utter silence. Invisible to all, she made her way to the edge of the board, allowing her bare feet to scrape the marble ground.

When Alice turned around, she could see most everything. Amidst the great sea of white and red, two figures stood alone on either side of the marble battle area. One was completely cloaked in a pure white gown, her matching white hair in curls cascading to her shoulders. Her pale hands were poised in a regal position just below her shoulders. Her head was held high as she observed the battle before her. She, like all the other inhabitants of Alice's Dream world, bore a blank face.

The other figure opposite of the Lady in White, wore a black, blood red, and golden gown that held a certain dark feel to it. There were quite a few hearts patterned into the fabric, which Alice took note of. The woman held a golden scepter with a ruby red heart sculpted into the top in her hands. Like the Lady in White, she too had no face. Alice wasn't exactly looking at her face though. She was too occupied on the woman's bulbous head! It was at least triple the size of a normal head with a mess of curly cherry hair topping it off. Even the back of her head was in the shape of a heart! This woman seemed anything but a loving creature.

She studied the two women closely. If they had faces, Alice knew they would be sending death glare in the other's direction. The women's posture was tense as if they were waiting for something to happen. But what?

The answer came when an earsplitting roar rang through the air, causing Time to slow down immensely. The soldiers on the chessboard seemed to suddenly fight in slow motion. Their movements slowed and the clashing swords took much longer to meet each other. Alice's blood froze in her veins and shivers were sent coursing through her spine. She trailed her eyes to stare at the maker of the horrendous sound. The mere sight of the new scaly beast nearly stopped Alice's heart altogether. In the midst of the Red and White battle, climbing what looked to be an old, dilapidated watchtower, a creature of nightmares scaled the stones. The black scales cloaked the Beast like a shadow and its eyes were red as flame. The tail was at least twenty-five feet in length by itself. The enormous head of the creature was crowned in spikes that could run a man through with the slightest touch. Sticking out of the mouth were four deadly fangs that challenged those of a saber-toothed cat. The very ends of the fangs were stained red. The vast wings that flowed from the Beast's back reached high above its head. A slight shadowy mist clung to the leathery material, making it look even more like a creature of darkness. Noticeable veins ran from one end of a wing to the other.

'_**Great!' **_Alice cried in her head, _**'The one creature I can see perfectly and it nearly scares the life out of me!'**_

Another piercing cry emerged from the throat of the Beast. It threw back its head and roared a battle cry, causing Alice to throw her hands to her ears to save them the torture.

A silver glint caused Alice's attention to waver slightly. Directly above the Beast, in a position that looked poised to kill, was a girl. She was completely covered in armor, save her head. Blonde hair flew behind her and there was a sword in her hands raised above her head. It was no mystery to Alice who the warrior was. Even without a face, Alice knew in her heart that her assumption was true. That didn't mean she could believe it.

The girl about to slay the Beast was none other than Alice Kingsleigh herself.

She brought the sword down on the Beast's head…

And awoke screaming.

The bed covers flew off Alice's shoulders as she bolted into an upwards position. The rapid thump of her racing heart reminded her of the vividness of the Dream. Fresh sweat caused her blonde mane to stick to her cheeks and her nightgown to cling to her slender form.

The left sleeve of the gown had fallen from its proper position on her shoulder and was about halfway down her arm. Alice reached over to pull it up but paused mid-way. The soft moonlight of the night bathed the three lined scar on her arm in a white light. The origins of the scar were hidden away from memory. Alice daintily ran her fingertips over the marks, wishing that she actually knew how she could have gotten something like that.

Alice looked up to the clock on her bedside desk. It was 4:30 in the morning. Alice groaned and plopped her head back on the pillow. There was no way she was getting any more sleep now, especially not with the visions of that Dream Beast fresh inside her mind. Maybe some fresh air would clear her mind. She really didn't want to seem tired today of all days. It was her twenty-first birthday after all.

Flinging her legs over the side of the bed, Alice let out a sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. She stood up slowly and walked over to the door, not even bothering to put on her bedroom shoes. Opening the door slowly so it wouldn't creak, she poked her head out to make sure no one had heard her scream and decided to check on her. The Kingsleigh household was as quiet as it should be at 4:30 in the morning. She shut the door back and strode over to the bedside desk. Taking a hidden key out from under one of the legs, Alice unlocked the drawer where she kept her journal and a feather pen. She picked up the leather bound book, quill, and ink from the compartment and placed them on top of the desk. She opened her journal, ripped a piece of parchment out and placed the book back into the drawer. Dipping the quill into the ink, she wrote three simple words in large letters on the paper.

_**Be back soon.**_

Satisfied, Alice put the other writing materials back into the drawer and locked it. She then placed the key back in its hiding place and put the note on her unmade and frankly unkempt bed. She then made her way back to the door and opened it once more. It only opened enough so Alice would be able to slip out without alerting anyone to her departure. This walk would probably be her only chance of solitude for the rest of the day and she preferred not to wreck that. Helen already told her that she had a surprise for her daughter, which Alice was actually dreading. The last surprise of her mother's was Alice's engagement/un-engagement party which resulted in Alice denying Lord Hamish her hand in marriage. Oh yes, _**that **_most certainly went well.

Alice crept out down the staircase and through the house quickly and quietly, avoiding every creaking floorboard as she did so. She slowly opened the front door and stepped into the night. Alice preferred the quiet of the night versus the commotion of the household during the day. If it wasn't Helen pressuring her to find a proper suitor, it was Margaret trying to be supportive but trying to steer her younger sister in a direction she didn't want to go. Alice had just returned from China for Lord's sake! She would have liked a little peace and quiet for once.

A stroll through the garden in the brisk summer morning was just was Alice needed. Her head was filled with the unusually vivid images from her Dream. She was still troubled as to why she dreamt up something so incredibly violent instead of the usually cheerful and vibrant scenes that she preferred.

With this thought in mind, Alice bunched her nightgown in her hands so she wouldn't trip; her feet seemed to work on their own accord because Alice was now running as fast as she could. She lacked a tie to pull her curls back with so they just flew behind her as she picked up the pace. Damp grass clung to the soles of her feet with each step she took.

As she flew through the grounds, questions bombarded Alice's mind. Why did thoughts of the Dream Realm completely consume her? Why did she feel more comfortable in her Dreams than she did in London? Mostly, why she relieved yet disappointed when she failed to see a flash of orange or a wild top hat amongst the fighting?

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><p><strong>Soooooo… How was it? This just kinda popped into my head while I was watching the movie the other day and I was just attacked by this vicious plot bunny! I mean the thing had FANGS! Creepy bunny I know. It wasn't McTwisp or Thackery in the least bit I'll tell you that! Some of this stuff was just 'blind muse' as my friend calls it. Special thanks goes out to my beta and friend, Lil' Miss Chris! (She has an awesome story out for the Inheritance Cycle called Identity. Check it out!) If you could take some time to review, I would be so happy! No flames please!<br>**


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